Many environmental elements, including but not limited to weather, can negatively impact a vehicle's internal and external appearance and physically damage components of a vehicle. For example, sunlight may deteriorate the dashboard and seats of a vehicle, while also increasing the temperature inside the vehicle. Additionally, wintry weather may produce a layer of ice or snow on the windshield, while also freezing shut the doors of the vehicle. Much work must be done to remove the snow and ice from the vehicle before it is safe to drive.
Articles exist for protecting vehicles from the harsh weather conditions of summer or winter. Cardboard or plastic cutouts may be placed inside the windshield to block or reflect the sun from damaging the interior and increasing the internal temperature of the vehicle. Pieces of cardboard may also be used on the exterior of the windshield between the windshield and the wipers to stop snow or ice from accumulating on the windshield. However, these articles are usually large and bulky. The articles take up a large amount of space to store, and may be difficult to position so as to best block the weather conditions. Also, wind can easily blow these articles from their intended position and even completely off the windshield so as to reduce or eliminate their effectiveness. In addition, neither of these devices blocks the weather from accumulating on or penetrating through the lateral windows on the driver's side and the passenger's side.
Other prior art devices include a section for covering the windshield, as well as lateral sections for covering the driver and passenger side windows. However, these devices generally include a hook or clamp that is placed around the door frame to aid in holding the device on the vehicle. The hooks or clamps may damage the doors or frames of the vehicles because they are bulky and may get in the way of the normal function of the door. Additionally, the devices do not completely cover the lateral window and frame of the vehicle, which could allow ice and/or snow to accumulate and freeze the door shut.
Therefore, there is a need for an improved cover for covering the windshield and lateral windows of a vehicle without damaging the frame of the vehicle. There is also a need in the art for an easy-to-use vehicle cover that is able to protect a vehicle from harsh weather conditions in both hot and cold seasons.